The 2016 Rio Olympics canoeing program featured 330 athletes across 16 events in slalom and sprint disciplines, amid health concerns over drug-resistant bacteria in competition waters.
Key Facts
- Total athletes
- ~330
- Total events
- 16
- Slalom dates
- 7–11 August 2016
- Sprint dates
- 15–20 August 2016
- Slalom venue
- Olympic Whitewater Stadium
- Sprint venue
- Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, Copacabana
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Canoeing was scheduled as part of the 2016 Summer Olympics program in Rio de Janeiro, with two disciplines — canoe slalom and canoe sprint — assigned to separate venues. Pre-Games testing by Brazil's Oswaldo Cruz Foundation revealed the presence of drug-resistant super bacteria genes in the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon designated for sprint events, raising athlete safety concerns.
Around 330 athletes competed across 16 canoeing events at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Canoe slalom ran from 7 to 11 August at the Olympic Whitewater Stadium, while canoe sprint took place from 15 to 20 August at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas in Copacabana, despite documented water quality issues at the sprint venue.
The presence of drug-resistant bacteria in the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon remained a point of controversy throughout the Games, drawing international attention to water quality standards at Olympic venues and prompting broader debate about the readiness of Rio de Janeiro's aquatic competition sites ahead of the event.